


The Appetite Remains

by Tochira



Category: Juuni Kokki | Twelve Kingdoms
Genre: Gen, Gen Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-03-01
Updated: 2009-03-01
Packaged: 2017-11-20 07:38:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/582916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tochira/pseuds/Tochira
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was like early spring, Gyousou thought. One never knew quite how the weather would behave: It could be warm and sunny all morning and by mid-afternoon a cold wind could blow up clouds full of rain, and the next day would be stormridden. Frost might surprise the beginnings of green things and freeze them, forcing them to start all over again. All one could do was hope for the best... and keep several different sorts of clothing at hand, just in case.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Appetite Remains

It was like early spring, Gyousou thought. One never knew quite how the weather would behave: It could be warm and sunny all morning and by mid-afternoon a cold wind could blow up clouds full of rain, and the next day would be stormridden. Frost might surprise the beginnings of green things and freeze them, forcing them to start all over again. All one could do was hope for the best... and keep several different sorts of clothing at hand, just in case.

Last week there had been a few cloudy days, but mostly Taiki had been cheerful and willing to engage with those around him. This week had started out balmy and promising, but yesterday there had been a sudden freeze. His kirin had nearly broken down during an audience, and ever since had refused to leave his quarters. Gyousou hadn't the foggiest idea what had brought on this particular mood, but he figured bringing Taiki a tray of his favorite foods couldn't hurt. Waving the servants away, he set the offering down on the veranda where Taiki was rigidly seated. He kicked off his slippers with a sigh of relief and sat, dangling his feet over the edge as he reached for a dish of red and yellow cherries.

"Would you like some?" He proffered one to Taiki. Not meeting Gyousou's eyes, Taiki turned his head slightly and mumbled something that might have been a no-thank-you.

Gyousou frowned ever so faintly. This was unexpected. Not to be defeated, he tried the almond pastry.

"It's very kind of you, Master Gyousou, but I'm not hungry," Taiki said to his hands, which were folded in his lap.

"When your appetite decides to return, is there something in particular that you'd like?" Taiki bit his lip, and Gyousou decided to press his luck. "Whatever you want, I will find a way to procure it for you." Ah. That was an almost-smile, he'd bet his sword on it.

"...Anything, really?"

Gyousou turned to face Taiki, tucking his feet up and putting on his best gentle expression, just as Renrin had (laughingly) coached him. "Do you miss things from Hourai sometimes, Kouri?" He could tell by Taiki's startled-deer look that he'd discovered at least part of the problem.

"I... know it's strange. I was so unhappy, but now that I'm here, I find myself thinking of the things-- little, insignificant things-- that weren't so bad," Taiki admitted, hands twisting in his lap as if he were confessing to something truly awful.

Gyousou smiled and lifted a cherry from the delicate bowl, twirling it by the stem. "There's nothing so strange about that," he said. "People want to be happy, no matter where they find themselves. You may not have realized it at the time, but now that they are gone, you find yourself missing those things that made you feel a little better-- even if they were small and fleeting." Taiki looked at him as if he'd suddenly begun speaking an unintelligible language, and Gyousou shrugged. "Miserable as exile was, I can tell you that I've never appreciated a bath quite so much as those few times I came across hot springs in the wilderness." He reached over and handed the cherry to Taiki, who cupped his hands around it and looked at Gyousou with faint disbelief.

"So, would that be why you seem to prefer the outdoor baths?"

Gyousou couldn't quite stop his smile turning into a laugh. "Probably. I certainly never used to enjoy them in midwinter. Now, tell me, little one: What do you miss?"

"...I missed you calling me that," Taiki whispered and at once looked horrified at himself for having said such a thing out loud. Gyousou lifted a hand to Taiki's forehead and brushed the now-shaggy bangs away from his eyes, waiting for Taiki to look up.

"Well, you're not so little anymore," he said. "But since you're still shorter than me, I suppose it's still appropriate." And there, finally, that watery smile was what he'd been trying to coax from his kirin for weeks.

Later, after the tray was mostly emptied of its contents, Gyousou handed Taiki the last cup of tea and asked once more: "What do you miss, from Hourai?"

Taiki swirled his tea thoughtfully, tilting the cup this way and that. "It feels silly, but... I used to like fried mushrooms, when they were in season. And hot chocolate, when it snowed."

"En Taiho would be happy to look for them for you, I'm sure," Gyousou replied. "I'll make sure he brings back enough to share."

"That would be wonderful," Taiki said, leaning back against a wooden column. "But there's no reason to ask just yet-- the weather's getting too warm for those things anyway." He stretched his legs, letting his own bare feet swing from the veranda alongside Gyousou's.

**Author's Note:**

> From a prompt on 31 Days: 3-1-09, 'love is the process of my leading you gently back to yourself'
> 
> This has been excavated and pasted wholesale from the [ficblog](http://cheezwiz.pitas.com/); post any quibbles in comments and I'll be grateful for the chance to nitpick and edit like the fusspot I am.


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